Method of manufacturing shovels



(No Model.) 6 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. M. MYERS. METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SHOVELS, SPADES, ANDSGOOPS.

Patented Apr; 27, 1886.

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(No Model.) 6 Sheets-Sheet 2.

H. M. MYERS. METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SHOVBLS, SPADBS, AND SGOOPS. No.340,599. Patented Apr. 27, 1886.

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H. M. MYERS. METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SHOVELS, SPADBS, AND sooors.

No. 340,599. Patented Apr. 27, 1886.

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- H. M. MYERS. METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SHOVELS, SPADES, AND SGOOPS. No.340,599. Patented Apr. 27, 1886.

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HENRY M. MYERS, OF BEAVER FALLS, PENNSYLVANIA METHOD OF MANUFACTURINGSHOVELS, SPADES, AND SCOOPS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 340,599, dated April27, 1886. 7

Application filed April 8. 1885. Serial No. 161,616. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be itknown that I, HENRY M. MYERs, acitizen of the United States,residing at Beaver Falls, in the county of Beaver and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certian new and useful Improvements inMethods of Manufacturing Shovels, Spades, and Scoops, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawings.

In the art of making shovels the great desideratum of the manufactureris to produce the article with facility and by the employment of aslittle skilled labor as possible, so that he can furnishthe trade withshovels at the minimum of cost. 7

In the present state of the art the manner of constructing shovels issuch that a large amount of the labor employed is skilled labor, and theprocess of forming the shovel-bladc and its handle-straps consumes muchtime, and their production is costly.

The object of my improvement is to dispense with most of the skilledlabor now employed in the making of shovels, spades, and scoops, and toproduce them with facility and at a diminished cost, which isaccomplished by a method consisting, first, in heating a blank formaking a shovel, spade, or scoop; second, in splitting the tang of saidblank for forming the handle-straps and socket for the wooden handle;third, in breaking down said blank and partially reducing it by apair ofbreakingdown rol1s; f0urth,in further re ducing the saidpartially-reduced blank by a pair of finishing-rolls,"and, finally,pointing said reduced blank by a pair of pointingrolls, the whole beingdone at one heat and one continuous operation, whereby the shovel,spade, or scoop is finished to the point where it is ready for theshearing operation, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

To enable others skilled in the art to which myinvention is most nearlyconnected to make and use it, I will proceed to describe itsconstruction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings,which form part of this specification,Figure 1 represents a diagram of the plant employed for carrying out theseveral steps of my invention. -Fig. 2 represents a verticallongitudinal section of a furnace employed for heating the bars of metalprior to cutting them into blanks for shovels. Fig. 3 is a perspectiveview of a blank for making a shovel, spade, 'or scoop. Fig. 4 is a frontelevation of a machine employed to split the tang of the blank and formthe socket in the blank for receiving the end of the wooden handle. Fig.5 is a perspective view of the blank after its tang has been split andthe socket formed therein. Fig. 6 is a front elevation of a pair ofreducingrolls for breaking down and partially rolling the blank shownin. Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a front elevation of a pair of finishing-rolls forthe further reduction of the blank. plan of the blank when rolled outand ready for the shearing process. Fig. 9 is a perspective view of apair of rolls, representing the manner of introducing the blank betweenthe rolls hereinbefore mentioned. 7

The several instrnmentalities hereinbefore mentioned and shown maybe ofany known construction and operation, and are not claimed as being of myinvention, separately considered.

The furnace for heating the, blank (shown in Fig. 2) is located asrepresented in the diagram, Fig. 1, and marked 1, with relation to thesplittingmachine, (marked 2111 the diagram, and shown in Fig. 4,) whichmachine splits the tang A of the blank 13, (shown in Fig. 3,) and formsthe socket therein for the lower end of the wooden handle of the shovel,as indicated in Fig. 5. A little cinder is then placed in the socket andbetween the two parts of the split tangs, to prevent their weldingtogether whilermdergoing the rolling process. The blank is then removedto the breakingdown rolls, (marked 3 in the diagram, and represented inFig. 6,) between which the blank is passed several times and reduced inthickness and increased in length. From this pair of rolls thepartially-rednced blank is removed to the finishing-rolls, (marked 4. inthe diagram, and represented in Fig. 7,) and passed between them untilthe blank is reduced to its desired thickness and length, and if it isdesired to point the blank it is removed to a pair of eccentric rolls(marked 5 in the diagram, Fig. 1) and pointed, which operation is wellunderstood in analogous arts.

Fig. 8 is a top view or The blank shown in Fig. 5 is always entered Qbetween the rolls, wit-h the tang entering first,

as shown in Fig. 9, and rolled lengthwise of the blank or blade of theshovel and its handle-straps, in contradistinction to the usual plan ofrolling the blank transversely or at an oblique angle to thelongitudinal axis of the blade and its handle-straps.

It has been found by experience that if the tang is not entered firstbetween the rolls in the rolling of the blank they will spreadlaterally, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 8.

The blank, after having been properly reduced, as hereinbeforedescribed, is subjected to the shearing or trimming process, wellknownin the art to which my invention relates, and is afterward givenits desired form by suitable dies, provided with its wooden handle, andfinished in any of the usual or preferred ways.

The rolls represented in Figs. 6 and 7 are of the construction requiredwhen it is desired to have the shovel-blade and handle-straps withincreased thickness in the center throughout the length of the blade andstraps, and diminishing in thickness toward the side edges thereof, inwhich case the curved recess in the roll or rolls of Fig. 6 (designatedas the breakdown roll in the diagram) is greater than the curved recessof the roll or rolls of Fig. 7. (Designated as finishing-rolls in saiddiagram.)

Experience has demonstrated that this difference between the two millsor sets of rolls is a necessity in the reducing process hereinbeforedescribed, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art of rollingmetals; but when it is desired to have the shovel-blades of uniformthickness plain rolls will be substituted for the rolls shown in thedrawings.

The blank employed in making shovels, and shown in Fig. 3, from the end0 to D should be about equal in length to the desired width of theshovel-blade to be made therefrom.

It has been demonstrated by practice in my works at Beaver Falls,Pennsylvania, that by my method of manufacturing shovels and spades,hereinbefore described, in making one hundred dozens shovels or spades,five men and one boy accomplish it with more case and do better workthan was formerly done in the said works by twenty-five men. In

addition, there is also this advantageviz.,

seventeen furnaces and fourteen tilt and steam hammers are dispensedwith, and a saving of one hundred and forty bushels of coal is securedin the making ofthe said number of shovels or spades, which shovels orspades, under the said new method, are finished with more case, arebetter in quality, and the waste of stock diminished at least threepounds per dozen, and defects in the shovels and spades decreasednine-tenths, (9 which, taken in connection with the economy of room, offirebrick, and fire-clay, clearly indicates that the said method is astep forward in the art of making shovels and spades of no smallproportion, and which saves in the manufacture of shovels and spades onedollar and two cents per dozen, which fact has been ascertained bycareful observation of the working of said method and theexpensesconnected therewith as compared with the bestmethod and meansknown to the art.

It will be observed by reference to the diagram shown in Fig. 1 that anauxiliary furnace (marked 3) is indicated, the function of which is toretain the heat in the blanks should any break in the continuity of theoperation occur.

The blanks shown in Figs. 3 and 8 and the process involved in theirproduction are claimed in other applications for Letters Patent, markedCases 13, C, and E, respect ively, Serial Nos. 155,521, 155,522,155,654, and the plant shown in the diagram, Fig. 1, is claimed in anapplication, Serial N 0. 161,277.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is The improvement inthe art of making shovels to the shearingpoint, hereinbefore described,which consists in heating a blank, splitting the tang, and forming thesocket for the handle at the same operation, breaking down and reducingthe blank, and finally pointing the blank, the several steps beingperformed consecutively under one heating of the metal and onecontinuous operation, substantiall y as set forth and described.

- HENRY M. MYERS.

lVitnesses:

WM. \V. S. DYRE, D. O. R-EINOHL.

